In a down economy, wine is a little insurance

Amanda Reavy

Tuesday

Nov 25, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 25, 2008 at 2:21 PM

For 12 years, Loren Shanle worked as an independent insurance agent out of a small office on Walnut Street in Rochester, just south of Rochester Station. By spring, Shanle hopes to have the roughly 1,000-square-foot space converted into a winery that doubles as an infrared sauna retailer. He plans to make the wine on-site, using juices and concentrates from vineyards across the world, and will offer wine-tasting as well as winemaking equipment.

For 12 years, Loren Shanle worked as an independent insurance agent out of a small office on Walnut Street in Rochester, just south of Rochester Station.

By spring, Shanle hopes to have the roughly 1,000-square-foot space converted into a winery that doubles as an infrared sauna retailer. He plans to make the wine on-site, using juices and concentrates from vineyards across the world, and will offer wine-tasting as well as winemaking equipment.

“Our motto is, ‘Take in the good, sweat out the bad,’” Shanle said. “Our goal is to get people to learn how to make their own wines at home.”

Rochester’s village board earlier this month approved a liquor license for the Walnut Street Winery Plus Saunas, the sixth license issued by the village since it lifted its ban on alcohol sales last year. Shanle’s business’ license falls under the retail classification.

“Rochester’s main concern is they don’t want a bar, and one of the stipulations is you can’t have more than 40 percent of your sales be primarily from alcohol items,” Shanle said. “The saunas are the big-ticket items, and I want to sell more equipment and wine juices to get people making their own wines at home. But, to get people attracted here, we need to be a fully bonded winery.”

Rochester Mayor Dave Armstrong, who serves as the village’s liquor control commissioner, said the combination of a winery/sauna sales business is interesting.

“Rochester has been known as coming up with various, newer type of things out here. R.L. Moore had the restaurant and such over there in Kensington House. We have the quilt shop there on Main Street. It’s a different concept, but hopefully it will attract customers,” Armstrong said.

Shanle, 55, who lives just north of Rochester with his wife, Karen, said the recent downturn in the insurance market, as well as Rochester’s end to prohibition, prompted him to capitalize on his newfound love of winemaking.

“I actually just started making wines on my birthday last year, on Nov. 24. I got wine supplies and everything from my daughter and wife, and I’m the kind of guy that takes something and goes crazy with it,” he said.

The hobby grew and Shanle soon brought a bottle of wine he made to a friend’s party.

“Everybody loved it, and people asked me if they could buy it. So I went home that night and told my wife, I said, ‘You know what? I think I found our calling. We’re going to make wine,’” he said. “It’s going to be unique, because there’s no other winery in Sangamon County.”

Shanle then began traveling to different wineries and talking to their owners.

After a brief absence, he decided to set up shop at his old Rochester office. Shanle had moved out of the space in 2006 after he sold his insurance agency to Diamond Bros. Insurance Agency. His insurance office is now in Springfield.

Shanle said he’s remodeling the building, adding a tasting bar with seating for up to 10 people and a room that will house corking and labeling machines, a filtration system and three 300-liter stainless steel tanks with capacity to produce 280 bottles per tank.

An infrared sauna also will be on display. Shanle said he decided to pair saunas with the wine because both are beneficial for the body. Infrared saunas use infrared radiation heat instead of raising the temperature of the surrounding air, he said.

Shanle hopes to have a “soft” opening for the Walnut Street Winery Plus Saunas in March.
He’s in the process of bonding the winery through the state and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. He said he’s applying for a license that will let him buy wine from other vendors, such as those in Napa Valley, to sell in addition to his own wines.

Shanle said he wouldn’t use Illinois grapes for his wines. He expects to buy juices and concentrates from vineyards in California, Italy, France, etc. through suppliers.

In order for a winery to name one of its wines based on the grape it comes from, it must have documentation to prove that at least 75 percent of the wine is made from that grape, he said.

“So, if you want to name one of the wines Merlot, there must be the paperwork to prove that 75 percent of the wine was actually made with Merlot grapes. I don’t think that you will find many wineries in Illinois making Merlot, zinfandel, pinot noir, or any of these other wines that I intend on making in Rochester,” he said.

All of the labels Shanle uses also will have to be approved. For some of his labels, Shanle drew inspiration from his family members. A bottle of his Rosso Fortissimo wine is named “Rosie Red,” after his mother, Rosabell, and includes a drawing of her on the label.

Shanle said he’ll have 14 to 16 different labels off the bat.

Since he’ll continue to work as an insurance agent, he initially plans to have the winery open Tuesday and Thursday and Friday through Sunday. His hours won’t extend past 7 p.m.

“I will be busy, managing this place, making the wines and so forth, but I’ll have to have somebody come out here and man this place for me. The insurance market has been kind of dismal,” Shanle said. “Selling wine will be a whole lot more fun. ... I think we’re going to get busy. The key to our success will be having a great product and great service.”

Amanda Reavy can be reached at (217) 788-1525 or amanda.reavy@sj-r.com.

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